Fluid-pressure motor.



E. P. NICHOLSON.

FLUID PBESSURE MOTOB.

APPLIGATION PILED FEB.25,1905.

901550. Patenta& Qct.20,1908.

TH: NORRIS PETERS co.. wsumorn. 1:4 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

EBERHARDT PETER NICHOLSON, OF NEW YORK, N, Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JEREMIAH A. RIOHARDSON, OF SOUTH NORWALK, CONNEOTICUT.

FLUID-PRESSURE MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. February 25, 1905. Serial No. 247339.

No. 901,550. Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

To all whom 'it may concerns Be it known that I, EBERHARDT PETER NICHOLSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York city, in the State of N ew York, have invented a new and useful Fluid-Pressure Motor, of which the following is a specification.

Thls invention relates to an electrically controlled fluid pressure motor especially ada ted for use with heavy trucks, and it furt er relates to a motor having a double threaded shaft rotated continuously in one direction by the reciprocating motion of a piston sliding upon said shaft and engaging the said threads.

The object of the invention is to transform the reciprocating action of the piston into a continuous rotary movement of the shaft without dead centers, and further to rovide means for electrically controlling the irection of rotation of the said shaft.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel features of Construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the claims andshown in the accompanyng drawings, in which 2- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the cylinder, the piston being partly in section and artly in elevation, and the shaft being in e evation. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a housing carried by the cylinder, a lever and shaft being shown in elevation, and a switch bar in section. Fig. 5 is a section through one of the valves.

In these drawings A represents a cylinder provided with a housing A' adjacent its ends, and preferably on the upper side of the c linder. A shaft B extends longitudina ly through the cylinder and is rotatably journaled in the ends of the cylinder. The shaft B may be connected in any manner to the axle of the truck, or vehicle to be driven, as by sprocket wheels and chains, or by intermeshing gears, or if desired shaft B may itself be one of the axles of the vehicle Within the cylinder the shaft B is enlarged as shown at B', and in the periphery of this enlarged portion is cut intersecting right and left hand threads B thereby providing the portion B' of the shaft with a double spiral groove. A hollow cylindrical piston C closed at each end is adapted to travel backgage the other set.

ward and forward upon the shaft B and at each end the piston is provided with suitable packing C' adapted to engage the grooves B and prevent fluid from enterng the piston, or from passing therethrough along the grooves of the shaft B.

The iston and cylinder are preferably elliptica l in cross-secton, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and the piston C is thereby prevented from rotating on the shaft B. This construction also provided room for the attachment carried within the iston. The devices consist of two flanged cy indrical rings D and D', the fiange of the ring D being adapted to engage one set of threads on the shaft B and the fiange of the ring D being adapted to en- On each side of each ring is arranged a horse-Shoe shaped electro-magnet E, two being on one side of the shaft and two upon the opposite side, and all supported in the piston by standards E'. The rngs D and D act as armatures for their respective magnets, and are attracted and held stationaryby said magnets when the magnets are energzed.

In the housing A' are journaled shafts A from which depend levers A the free ends of which extend downwardly into the cylinder A and in the path of travel of parallel shoulders C formed on the piston C midway its ends. The piston C has also fianges 0 at each end which snugly fit the sides of the cylinder A, and to prevent the said flanges from engaging the depending levers A they are notched in alinement with said levers as shown at 0 To the outer ends of the shafts A are connected cranks F and the free ends of the cranks are connected by a switch bar F carrying contact plates or points F The cylinder A carries stationary contact plates or points, suitably insulated, said points F being engaged by the plates F as the bar F is shifted by contact of the shoulders C with the levers A At opposite ends of the cylinder A I provide inlet pipes H and J and exhaust pipes H' and J', and in each is arranged a solenoidal valve K, of the usual Construction of such valves.

Suitable electrical conductors extend from the contact plates F and F to the said valves and also to the electro magnets E, the conductors for the electro magnets E being passed through one of the cylinder heads in a cable G. two sets of insulated conductors, one set eX- tending to the electro magnets arranged opposite the ring D and the other set of conductors extending to the magnets E arranged opposite the ring D'. lt Will be understood that the electrical circuits and connections can be made in any desired manner.

In operation the piston C is driven by a fluid, steam, gas, air, or hydraulic pressure, admitted to the cylinder A through one of the inlet pipes.

Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, the shoulder C will have engaged the lever A at the left hand end of the cylinder, as seen in the drawings, and the switch bar F Will have been shifted into the position shown in the said figure. The points F being in proper contact the valves K will be opened at H and closed at 1-1, and the eXhaust valve at J' Will be opened and the one at J closed. This movement of the bar will also cut out or denergize the electro magnets E adjacent one of the rings, say the ring D, and will make the circuit leading to the magnets opposite the ring D. The ring D' will theretore be held against rotation on the shalt by its magnets E. The pressure of fluid admitted through the inlet at H and the piston will be driven in a forward direction, and the ring D being held against rotation and its flange engaging one of the threads on the shaft B the said shait will be rotated. When the piston reaches the limit of its travel in a forward direction the other lever A will be engaged by one of the shoulders 0 and the circuits changed by the shi'iting of the bar F so that the inlet at H will be opened and also the eXhaust at J, the others being closed. The pisten C will therefore travel in the reverse direction, but as the ring D is now locked by the energizing of its magnets, and as it engages an opposite thread from that engaged by the flange of the ring D' the rotation of the shaft will be in the same direction, and the reciprocation of the piston C will therefore result in continuous rotation of the shalt.

Should the piston and shalt be stopped at the end of a forward movement of the piston, and the piston, after such momentary stoppage, is again started the rotation of the shaft will be reversed, and as long as the piston is kept in continuous reciprocatory motion the shait will continue. to rotate in the direction in which is was started.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a detail sectional view of one oi' the valves K', all of these valves being substantially of the same construction. In this figure, the pipe H', is shown as having an inwardly projecting shoulder H provided with a concave face and from the opposite side of the pipe eX- tends a branch H whereby a valve chamber K and a suitable winding T.

A ball valve L is adapted to move vertically in the'branch pipe and to seat in the concavity formed in the shoulder H and When so seated the pipe H',is closed at this point as clearly shown in the said Fig. 5. The valve is provided with a stem L, which passes through the core K and within the said core is provided With an armature L The principle upon which the valve operates will be readily understood. V

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1, A motor of the kind described comprising a cylinder, a rotatable shalt, arranged longitudinally in the cylinder, the said shait having double spiral grooves formed in its periphery within the cylinder, 'a piston movable upon said shalt, lianged rings arranged within the piston adapted to engage the said grooves, electro magnets arranged in the pistori and adapted when energized to hold the said rings against rotation with respect to the shaft, means for automatically energizing and denergizing the said electro magnets alternately as the piston reaches its limit of travel, inlet and exhaust pipes at each end of the cylinder, solenoidal valves controlling said inlet and exhaust pipes, and means for automatically making and breaking an electric circuit connected with the said valves.

2. A device of the kind described comprising a cylinder having housings thereon, a rotatable Sha it journaled in the cylinder, said shait having right and left threads cut therein, a piston movable upon the sllavit within the cylinder, a flanged ring within the piston, adapted to engage the right hand threads of the shalt, a similar ring within the piston adapted to en age the leit hand threadsof the shalt, an electro magnet arranged adjacent each of said rings, shoulders 'formed upon the piston, shafts journaled in the housings on the cylinder, let ers carried by said shaits and having their 'free ends projecting in the path of the shoulders, cranks carried by the outer en ds of the housing sha'l ts, a switch bar connecting the said cranks, contact plates carried by the switch bar, stationary contact plates carried by the cylinder and adapted to be' engaged by the contact plates carried by the switch bar, inlet and eXhaust pipes arranged at each end of the cylinder, solenoidal valves arranged in each of said pipes, and electrical conductors eXtending 'rom the contact plates to the said electro magnets and to the solenoidal valves as and for the purpose set forth.

EBERHARDT PETER NICHOLSON.

VVitnesses:

M. D. BLONDEL, E. M. VENN.

The cable G comprises v is formed. The solenoid comprises a core 

